• Education: Bachelor of Business Administration-University of Notre Dame

• Family: Single

• Political experience: Elected on November 4th, 2008; first female to represent District 77 in the Texas Legislature.

• Infrastructure: What would you say are Texas' most pressing infrastructure needs? How would you address them? How would you pay for it? If you say by cutting waste, be specific.

Texas is growing both in population and economically, and our infrastructure must match those changes if we are to remain competitive. Congestion on our highways and accessibility to roads are essential to our continued growth, and for that reason it is important that we continue to make infrastructure a priority in our state.

• School cheating: Q: Do you believe the state has adequately addressed the school-cheating scandals unearthed in El Paso County and elsewhere? If not, what more should be done?

A: I have been very active in efforts to reform El Paso's public schools and filed several bills to address the cheating scandals. I have also been vocal with federal and state agencies in asking for action to address loopholes in our public education system across multiple levels. However, these efforts are not enough. Our entire system needs reform, and the positive changes taking place in El Paso are a preview of statewide change. The current focus on standardized testing scores is not working. We need reform as a whole and refocus on educating our children.

Advertisement

• El Paso economy: Q: If you could only file one bill to improve the El Paso economy, what would it be?

A: Without a doubt we need to look at all avenues we can take to re-open Speaking Rock (a tribal casino.) It would have an immediate and sustainable impact on the El Paso economy and would drive economic growth across the board.

• Border security: Q: Many in Austin and D.C. talk about devoting more resources to securing the border. Do you think these concerns are well placed? How would you focus government efforts on the border?

A: Border security and safety are important to secure across all our borders. Mexico is our major trading partner, and instead of criminalizing and creating a negative picture of our border, we should look for ways to collaborate in securing safe and efficient border crossings. El Paso can lead the way and serve as an incubator for new technologies and innovations that expedite global commerce rather than allow others to define us.

• Education funding: Q: Last session, the Legislature restored $3.3 billion of $5.4 billion that was cut from public education funding in 2011. Was that enough? If not, say how much more you would spend and where the money would come. If you say by cutting waste, be specific.

A: As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am proud of the work that we did for public education. While we restored $3.3 billion, we still need to restore all of the cuts from 2011 and invest additional funds to cover pay increases for teachers and benefits, educational programs, and expenses for educational tools and resources. These funds can be diverted from savings in the criminal justice system, our fourth largest expenditure, by focusing on rehabilitation and not incarcerating non-violent low-level offenders. Any savings should be used in educating our children.